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wishing to relactate!!!

I'm back!!!
I was having trouble durring the first few weeks with BF and b/c of lack of support, I pretty much gave up. LO was then around...3wks.
Supply never really came in, and he was having a really hard time latching on. Tried a nipple latch, worked for a few feeds, LO would fall asleep after a few mins, then wake up SCREAMING for more, so I would put him back..went through this at least 5 times untill he would finally fall asleep and stay that way....for only an hour or so...then right back at it!!! Not working.....

I tried fenugreek...that REALLY helped with LD, but still not gettin any milk out...

Gave up on pumping, mainly because I was using a rented pump from WIC and being a "partially BF'ing" mother was not giving me enough formula for LO to eat...so turned in the pump in order to get more formula...plus, I thought I was going back to school on campus and thus, wouldnt have enough time to continue to pump...

well, still at home, doing online classes, and really wanting to relactate. Since its just me and LO(have 2 kids...one is at daycare), I figured I could really try to bring him B2B.

Here's my problem: I'm a teen mom of 2(only 19) with no support from my mom...(she thinks LO is spoiled b/c he likes Babywearing), so I kno she would absolutely FLIP if I tried to relactate. Plus, 2yo is really busy, and wanting me to do everything with her again...

is it really worth it to want to relactate? I've been reading up on ways of getting more milk, and it seems pretty easy, but I dont wanna hafta give up on it so fast again...

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

I think that your desire to breastfeed is from your heart and that makes it worth trying again. But I do have to say that it is not pretty easy to get milk up. It takes lots of work, daily. It takes lots of persistence. It means frustration and tears and not quiting even when you think you are going to go crazy. It means being a good mom to both your little ones even when you are angry about not increasing your milk as fast as you want to.

I am glad that you are continuing to wear your baby, even without your mom's support. It sounds like you are listening to your instincts. Mothering is an art, not a science. The way you mother your children will be different than the way that your mother mothered you, simply because you are two different people with different children. It doesn't mean that you do not love or respect your mother for the way she raised you, right?

Do you have another way to get a hopital grade pump? You do not have to have one, but it would help. Do you know how to hand express? Do you now know why the baby was not able to nurse effectively? Will baby comfort suck, now?

My baby was premature and tongue-tied. He had a weak, uncorordinated suck. He would chomp up and down instead of suck. So, my milk supply was very low. Getting him therapy and his tongue clipped solved his sucking problems so that he could nurse.

Do you have a doctor or lactation consultant that will look at your baby and see about any sucking problems? A lot of doctors and even some lactation consultants will not take relactation seriously, so beware of that. You might want to get your milk started again so that they take you seriously.

You can find a lot of support here. Write often. I will be praying for your family!

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

My situation is similar, and i too am looking for advice...is there a site r somewhere to learn more about "relactation"? i still have a Very ow supply, but i'd desperately love to start full on BFing again...it's been about 2 weeks

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

Originally Posted by mommieagainR2

Here's my problem: I'm a teen mom of 2(only 19) with no support from my mom...(she thinks LO is spoiled b/c he likes Babywearing), so I kno she would absolutely FLIP if I tried to relactate. Plus, 2yo is really busy, and wanting me to do everything with her again...

is it really worth it to want to relactate? I've been reading up on ways of getting more milk, and it seems pretty easy, but I dont wanna hafta give up on it so fast again.

I'm sorry that you have no support. You mentioned that you're currently on WIC...is there a breastfeeding support group, IBCLC, or even WIC peer counselor available to you?

It is rewarding to relactate AND breastmilk is the perfect food for human babies. If you want to relactate, then I urge you to go for it and not worry about what anyone else thinks. Afterall, it's your body and your baby.

It is absolutely possible to bring in your milk. Some mothers are able to bring back a full supply, others are only able to bring in a portion of their baby's needs. Every little bit of breastmilk your baby receives is beneficial.

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

Originally Posted by melbelle

My situation is similar, and i too am looking for advice...is there a site r somewhere to learn more about "relactation"? i still have a Very ow supply, but i'd desperately love to start full on BFing again...it's been about 2 weeks

Two weeks w/out breastfeeding is not long at all! You'll have your milk production back up in no time!

You can learn more about relactation in the links I posted just above this post and in the stickied post on the front page of this forum. If you need more information, please do not hesitate to ask. We're here to help.

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

:
Here's my problem: I'm a teen mom of 2(only 19) with no support from my mom...(she thinks LO is spoiled b/c he likes Babywearing), so I kno she would absolutely FLIP if I tried to relactate.

Hey, I can totally sympathize with being young (I am just barely 21) and having a hard time going against what your mom thinks. The very first time I ever got my daughter to nurse ( she was 2 months old) I called my mom so super excited, and she told me to take her off after 10 minutes so that my nipples wouldn't get sore. Even though I knew she was wrong, and even though she was in California and I was in Oregon, I still did it.

It was two weeks before my daughter latched on again, and every day I cried because I thought I had wasted maybe the only precious nursing session we would ever have.

My mom was only trying to help, and she was trying to keep me from experiencing pain because she loves me, but it made me realize that I am a adult now, and I am my baby's mother and I am the only one who has the right to decide how I want to care for my child.

Mama to DD#1 Exclusive pumper for 3 months before getting back to breast

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

do you really think it will work out? my baby is only 6 weeks old...i know it will be hard, but its important to me, i never breastfed my first daughter, i just want things to go as smoothly as possible, we have enough stress is our home as it is

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

You can absolutely get your milk back. I didn't want to imply that you cannot. I also didn't want you to think that it was easy. There are so many women that mourn losing breastfeeding. If it was easy, I think that most women would relactate as soon as they got caught up on sleep. On the other hand, all things worth doing are worth the time that it takes to do it. I could imagine wanting to quit if you thought it was going to be easy. If you know it is hard before you start, then you will be prepared to put in the hard work it takes. I believe in both of you. It is worth it. Each ounce of breastmilk is worth it.

Re: wishing to relactate!!!

thank you so much...i quit because we both had thrush so bad, her tongue was completely white, nd my nipples were regularly bleeding, i didn't think a few days would make a huge difference, but then she completely rejected me. ive heard a medical pump along with fenugreek is a good strt, and im looking into that today. it's going to be hard, im sure, especially time wise, what with my older daughter to look after as well, but if it can be done, i think its definately worth it